Combating Terrorism: Charting the Course for a New Administration

March 6, 2008Duke Law News

March 6, 2008 -- A major conference at Duke University on April 10-11, 2008, will explore strategies a new administration can employ to effectively confront terrorism.

“Combating Terrorism: Charting the Course for a New Administration” is sponsored by the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security (LENS), the Center for International and Comparative Law, and the Program in Public Law at Duke Law School. It will be held at the Thomas Center and Geneen Auditorium in the Fuqua School of Business on Duke’s West Campus. All sessions are open to the public.

The conference will bring together experts from the top levels of the military, intelligence, diplomatic, legal, and academic communities in a series of round-table discussions to address such topics as shaping U.S. foreign policy to effectively combat terrorism; the role of the international community in this regard; the prosecution of alleged terrorists in federal courts; the extraordinary rendition of alleged terrorists; domestic spying; and the accountability of private military contractors.

“The national election is just months away, and regardless of which party wins, there will be a new administration in the White House and, perhaps, shifts in the balance of political power on Capitol Hill,” says Scott Silliman, executive director of LENS and the principal organizer of the conference. “Whether the new administration should stay the course or shift away from the Bush administration’s strategy for combating terrorism, both here and abroad, will be a central issue for the presidential campaign and beyond.” In charting the course for a new administration, he adds, many different aspects of national power must be considered, from the use of military force ― as it was used in Iraq and Afghanistan ― to intelligence-gathering and shaping U.S. foreign policy to ensure maximum protection against further terrorist attacks in the U.S. and against American interests abroad.

Registration is free for all panel discussions and sessions held in the Geneen Auditorium. Keynote speeches will take place over meals at the Thomas Center for which there is a charge ― $25.00 for each luncheon and $45.00 for the April 10 reception and dinner. A reduced rate is available for full-time students.

The conference schedule and registration information is available online.